Timer-brush.



J. H. RICHARDS, A. J. SIMON & l. H. HAAS. TIMER BRUSH.

APPucAnoN FILED JULY 10. 1918.

1,300,779. Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

INVENTORS WITNESSES '6 J01? Effaas, /W%- ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. RICHARDS, AUGUST J. SIMON, AND JQHN H. I-IAAS, F OVERBROOK, KANSAS.

TIMER-BRUSH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

di p cation filed Ju y 818- Serial No. 2%275.

. 7 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN H. RIC ARDS, AUcUs'r J. SIMON, and JoHN 1d. HeAs, all citizens of the United States, all residing at ()verbrook, in the county of Osage and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Timer-Brushes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to timer brushes, and more particularly to a brush specially adapted for use in connection with the timing mechanism of an automobile.

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide a brush of the character stated of simple construction and operation which is especially adapted for use in connection with the timer of a Ford automobile. A further object is to provide a brush and supporting means therefor which may be quickly and easily secured on the cam shaft for operating the timer. A further object is to provide a resilient supporting frame, this'frame carrying a contact element which is adapted to successively engage the segmental contact plates of the timer when the cam shaft is rotated, the spring being so mounted as to permit easy distortion thereof so as to allow the contact member to pass readily over any roughnesses or obstructions which may be encountered while holding this member in close contact with the inner surface of the usual annular member or contact ring of the timer. Further objects will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front view of a brush constructed in accordance with our invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view.

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. a is a side view taken from the side opposite to Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a front view of the brush as ap plied the cover of the timer casing and associated parts bein removed.

The supporting rame of the brush, designated generally by 1 is formed from a strip of strap metal'which is bent to provide the inner cylindrical sleeve 2, the outer arcuate arms 3 and 4 which are 0 positely directed, and the intermediate neciis 5 and 6 which connect the arms 4 and 3, respectively, to the sleeve. The sleeve 2 is somewhat longer than the necks 5 and 6 and arms 4 and 3 so as to project beyond the body of the supporting frame, as at 2.

portion of the sleeve is provided with an opening 7 adapted to receive a set screw for securing the sleeve on the cam shaft 8 of the timer, set screw 9 being inserted through the opening 7 and threaded into the cam shaft.

The outer end portion of arm 4: of the supporting frame of the device is turned outwardly at an angle and transversely slotted to provide an eye 10 which slidably receives the free end portion 11 of an arcuate leaf spring 11 the other end portion of which is inserted through an inwardly directed eye 12 formed at the outer end of arm 3. An arcuate reinforcing member 13 is also in sorted through eye 12 inside of spring 11. and this reinforcing member and the spring are secured to arm 3 by a rivet 14. This provides, in effect, a laminated structure at the fixed end portion of the spring which seryes reinforce the spring and normally mamtaln it in arcuate or expanded position. A lug or contact member 15 which may be formed of any suitable material of high electrical conductivity is secured to spring 11 on-the outer face thereof and at the approximate center of the spring by a screw 16 inserted through the spring and threaded mto the member 15.

In practice, the sleeve 2 is secured on cam shaft 8 in the manner described, spring 11 serving to normally maintain contact member 15 in close contact with the inner surface of the contact ring 18 of the timer, this ring being provided with the spaced metal contact plates 19 which are insulated from each other and are connected to the binding osts 20 in the well known manner. During t e rotation of the cam shaft 8,;contact member 15 will be moved so as to successively engage the contact segments 19 thus establishing electric connection between the successive binding posts and the cam shaft which is grounded to the engine so as to operate the spark plu s of the engine in proper order. By rovi in this device, we eliminate the usua multip e armed plate, roller arm, roller carried thereby, and tension spring for normally forcing the roller into engagement with the contact ring of the timer, thus eliminating all unnecessary parts and producing a device of very simple construction which may be manufactured at small cost while reducing the liability of disarrangement of parts to a minimum.

The projecting end Also, by constructing the device in this coma-o1 thin pltent may be obtained for manner as a unit it may be readily secured on, or removed from the cam shaft. Inthe event that the contact member 15 encounters obstructions, the spring 11 may be compressed so as to force the free portion 11 thereof through eye 10 thus permitting the contact member to pass readily over the obstruction, this member being immediately returned to operative position by the action of the spring.

The foregoing description and the drawings have reference to what may be considered the preferred, or approved form of our invention. It is to be understood however, that we may make such changes in construction and arrangement and combination of parts, material, dimensions, et cetera, as may prove expedient and fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a rotatable shaft and a, concentric contact ring, of a supporting frame secured on said shaft for rotation therewith and provided with oppositely directed arcuate arms, one of said arms being provided at its outer end with a transversely extending outwardly directed eye, an arcuate spring secured at one end to the other arm of the frame and having its free end loosely inserted through said eye so as to be readily movable therethrough, and a contact member mounted on the outer face of the spring and normally held thereby in engagement with the inner face of said ring, the eye serving to permit movement therethrou h of the spring to accommodate distortion t ereof while preventing contact of the free end of the spring with said ring.

2. In a device of the character described, a supporting frame adapted to be secured on the shaft of a timer mechanism for rotation therewith, said frame being provided with oppositely directed arcuate arms, an arcuate leaf spring connected to the ends of said arms so as to form a continuation of the same, and a contact member secured on the outer faceof said spring so as to be held thereby in engagement with the contact ring of a timer when the frame is secured on the shaft'of the timer in operative position.

3. In a device of the character described, a supportin frame adapted to be secured on the shaft of a timer and provided with two arcuatc oppositely directed arms, one of said arms being provided at its outer end with an outwardly directed transversely extending eye, a leaf spring of arcuate shape.

liavin one end secured to the outer end of the ot or arm and having its other end portion loosely inserted throu h said eye so as to be freely movable therefiirough in either direction, said spring being curved on an arc corresponding approximately to the arc of curvature of the arms, and a contact member secured on the outer face of the spring at the approximate center thereof.

4;. n a device of the character described, a supporting frame provided with a central sleeve adapted to be secured on a cam shaft of a timer, said frame being further provided with two oppositely directed arcuate arms carried by said sleeve, one of said arms bein provided at its outer end with an outwardl directed transversely extending eye and t e other arm being provided at its outer end with an inwardly directed transversely extending eye,'an arcuate leaf spring having one end portion inserted throng said inwardly directed eye and secured to the arm carryin said eye, the other end portion of sai sprin being inserted through the outwardly directed eye carried b the other arm so as to be freely movable tlierethrough in either direction and held against outward movement thereby away from the arm, and a contact member secured on the outer face of said spring.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN H. RICHARDS. AUGUST J. SIMON. JOHN H. HAAS.

Witnesses;

JrAi Connrs,

A. S. OWEN.

five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Intent. Washington, D. 0." 

